Book-support



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. MCVEY AND ALFRED RIGLIN G, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOOK-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 504,233, dated August 29, 1893.

Application filed August 27, 1892. Serial No. 444,278. (No model.) l

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN J. MGVEY and ALFRED RIGLING, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new andv useful Im provements in Book-Supports; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to a self-sustaining book support to be applied on shelving to prevent the books from fallingover when there are not a sucient number of books to completely fill the shelf, and also to separate the volumes at different points in any desired manner, and further to serve asa memorandum holder and an index to, and means of classifying the books on the shelves; and it consists in certain novel constructions, combination and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the book support applied to a shelf. Fig. 2 is a front view of a shelf with our invention applied to the same and with several books held in an upright position by the support, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the book support.

A in the drawings represents our improved book support which is preferably made of metal and stamped out of one piece, though it is obvious that it might be constructed of several pieces. The support is intended to be applied to a shelf in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2 without the use of any fastening means, and is longitudinally adjustable to any point on the shelf by simply sliding the same along the shelf either to the righttor left.

As heretofore stated, the book support is preferably stamped out of one piece of metal, and consists of a thin flat horizontal bottom or base portion B of sufficient width and length to have a firm, square seat on the shelf, when placed upon the same. The base is provided with an index holder C which is constructed by forming it with a downwardly extending flange c at its front outer end and turning the lower end of the flange forward and upward a short distance to form a grooved lip c', and the right hand end of the flange outward and backward to fornr'a stop c2, by which construction an. index card can be slipped into the left hand open end of the holder and held in position within the same against vertical and longitudinal movement. An additional holding means for the card is formed by preferably stamping the metal out from the rear forming a loop c3, though it may be formed in any other suitable manner. The rear edge of the base portion is constructed without a flange so as to permit it to rest squarely on the shelf and to slide readily on the same. The front downwardly extending stop flange rests against the front edge of the shelf and tends to hold the support in position upon the same and prevent it being pushed too far back on the shelf.

At the right hand of the base or bottom portion B, the book support is provided with an endwise f extending vertical support D .which is in form of abroad liat surfaced plate with extensions at one or both of its vertical edges and so constructed as not only to subserve the purpose of supporting the books by reason of its broad, flat' surface, but also to form a receptacle for memorandum cards, and to receive on its front surface any suitable index or label. This upright support extends upward a suitable distance and may have its center portion removed to make it as light as possible. The front and rear ends of the upright support are preferably made rounding as at d and are extended longitudinally with and transversely of the base plate, so as to have a bearing upon the shelf beyond the flat surface of the upright portion and thus serve as a staying means to said flat portion while they form an open ended receiver or holder for the reception of a memorandum card, the outer rounded ends of which receiver may be suitably labeled. By vconstructing the vertical supports with rounded vertical edges, the leaves of a book are prevented from being mashed when a book is pushed onto the support, as would likely occur if the vertical support was made with a thin straight edge, as with the latter construction, in hurriedly placing abook on the support, the thin vertical edge is liable to be forced in between the leaves of the book and to seriously injure the same.

IOO

One of the essential purposes of the eX- tension of the upright flat portion of the support, is to stay said upright fiat portion against deflection from an upright position; and this it accomplishes by bearing upon the shelf beyond the upright flat portion. This is important as the material employed in the construction ot' the support proper, is preferably sheet or thin plate metal which can be readily bent, out and swaged into form as required; but While it serves this important purpose it also forms a receptacle for mennorandum cards or tickets. The vertical iiat portion of the support can have its stayin g e`X- tension bent at right angles longitudinally with and transverse of the base plate; and if only the front or rear edge of the upright portionwas provided with an extension it would be stayed and prevented from deiieeting as `Well as the support proper held from tilting over.

This invention will be found Very convenient and useful in libraries and in book stores, as it can be applied to a shelf or bookl case Without any fastening means and will serveas a most efficient means for holding any number of books in a vertical position; also to keep a certain class of booksdistinct or separate from other classes by inserting a support between each class and placing a suitable index as a number on each support and inserting a record or memorandum card in the indexreceptacle upon which to make' entries concerning that class or division of books as for instance to note when a book is Withdrawn andby Whom taken, the names of the books in said division or any other suit` able memoranda.

It is evident from the aforegoing description and accompanying drawings that the extending rounded edges of the vertical portion of the support by bearing upon the shelf will prevent the horizontal base portion from being tilted when the Weight of the books comes upon said vertical portion, and also that the vertical flange of the index will prevent the book support being shoved too far back on the shelf.

lVhat We claim as our invention is- 1. A book support having a horizontal broad base, and an upright end supporting port-ion comprising a staying extension edge bent and shaped to form a chamber which is open at top and bottom, said extension edges being constructed to bear horizontally upon a shelf beyond the dat upright portion of the' support, substantially asdescribed.

2. A book supporthaving a horizontal broad base and an upright end portion, the base portion being terminated at its junction with said end portion, and the end portion formed with vertical extensions at itsfront and rear corner,` which extensions are curved and shaped to form a chamber having an open bottom and to have' at their lower edges a horizontal bearin g contact upon a shelf trans versely and longitudinally of said shelf, and a combined open ended index holder and limitationstop constructed by forming the front edge of the base portion with a downwardly extending flange c provided with a grooved lip c', a stop c2 and'a loop c3, substantially as'and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof We hereunto aix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

J OllN J. llICVEY.` ALFRED RIGLINGr,` Vtiitnesses:

ELMER E. HARTRANFT, F. A. HARTRANFT. 

